Pam Tillis to Record New Album Inspired by Opry Roots

Pam Tillis is gearing up to head back into the studio to begin work on new music with an old feel. Her last studio album, 'Rhinestoned,' released in 2007, was a slice out of traditional country music inspired by her roots: growing up around the Grand Ole Opry. And she promises more of the same for the next project."The older I get, the more mature I get, the more I appreciate my heritage and roots," Tillis tells Canada's Winnipeg Free Press. "Gosh, I wish more people would go back and listen to old country music. Young kids should go on YouTube and listen to the classic old-school guys -- they would be surprised how cool the music was. It wasn't all done with bells and whistles and Auto-Tune; it was real and heartfelt. That's what inspired me."

The daughter of Opry legend, Mel Tillis, the singer has always set out to achieve greatness on her own, rather than riding on the name of her famous father. However, her 2002 release, 'It's All Relative: Tillis Sings Tillis,' was a full album of her father's tunes and was something she took pride in doing.

"It was really organic," Tillis recalls."I don't like to be calculating. I always like to shoot from the hip and the heart. I also felt confident enough as an artist. That was important for me to wait. I never wanted to ride on his coattails; I wanted to approach that project with some credibility of my own."

Tillis is currently out on the road with fellow Opry artist, Lorrie Morgan.